Coal or grain bin



110. 450,267. Pate nted Apr. 14, 1891.

M MZ Wm m Z n W H w w M T. 7 Au Z0 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..-

\VILLIAM VALKFR, OF SGANDIA, KANSAS.

COAL OR GRAIN BIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,267, dated April14, 1891.

Application filed June 5, 1890. Serial No. 354,392. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM WALKER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Scandia, in the county of Republic and State of Kansas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Coal or Grain Bins; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appert-ains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improved storage and dumping bin for coalor grain.

The object of this device when used for coal is to save the labor ofhandling the coal over as many times as is done under the presentsystem, instead of unloading the coal into storage-bins placed down uponthe ground (as at present) as it comes from the miner and then reloadingit again and running it up onto the elevated roadway, there unloading itagain on platforms, and from there shoveling into chutes or dumps asneeded. With this device the storage-bins are built on an elevatedplatform beside an elevated track and the coal is placed in the elevatedbins as it comes from the mines. At intervals along and beneath the binchutes or dumps are constructed for the purpose of receiving from thestorage-bin above a given amount of coal as maybe required to furnisheach engine such an amount as the engine may wish. The cut-ofi is placedbetween the top of the chute or dump and the bottom of the storage-bin,and when the operator draws the cut-off or gate the coal in the bin willfall into and fill the chute or dump. When the chute or dump is filled,he then stops the flow of coal by shoving the cut-off through the coal,so that when the chute or dump is opened to supply the engine there willnot any more coal pass to the engine than what the chute contains. Whenused for grainbin, the object of this device is to measure the grainthat may be loaded into cars or other vehicles by placing the cut-off ata given point above the bottom of the bin, which space shall containsuch amount as may be desired. When this bin is filled and it isdesirable to load out the grain, the operator shoves the cut-off forwardand through the grain, and by so doing he prevents all grain passinginto the car, excepting that which remains beneath the cut-off. He thenopens the cut-off, lets the grain pass down, and fills the measureagain, and repeats the operation until the car is filled. This devicesaves a large expenditure of money for track or hopper scales used atelevator grain-houses and coalstations.

The improvement consists of the novel features and peculiar constructionand combination of the parts, which hereinafter will be more fullydescribed and claimed, and which are shown in the accompanying drawings,in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a storagebin embodying myinvent-ion. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line Y Y of Fig. 3.Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line X X of Fig. 2, showing theoperation of the cut-off and the chute by dot-ted lines.

The storage-bin A is of usual construction, having a slanting bottom Cl.and a vertical side a opposite the said slantingbottom. Beneath the binis located the chute B, which inclines from its upper end. The lower orfront end of the chute is open, and is normally closed by the hingeddoor S, which when opened forms an extension of chute B. The upper endof door B overlaps the lower end of chute B and is counterbalanced bythe weights 8, which are attached to the arms 3. The purpose of theweights is to automatically close the door after the substance, coal orgrain, has entirely passed from the same. The catches d engage with thedoor S and hold it shut against the pressure of the substance confinedin the chute and are connected with the crank-shaft D, which isjournaled near its end to the front end of the storage-bin by the linksd.

The slide or cut-off E'divides the space be tween the bin proper andthechute and serves to close the bottom of the said bin A, and may beclosed or opened, as required. For grain and similar commodities it ispreferred to have the cut-off made closed, thereby holding the grain inthe bin; but for coal and such like substances it is preferred to havethe cut-off made open, whereby it will penetrate the same when closing.The cut-off as con structed to be used for coal is composed of thecross-bar e and teeth e,which are secured at their inner ends to thesaid cross-bar e, the

front ends of the teeth being free and sharpened to better penetrate thesubstance. A guard is provided to prevent the coal clogging or Wedgingbetween the teeth 2, and is composed of a series of bars F, which passbetween the teeth e and are secured at their upper ends to the slantingbottom a of the bin. The cut-off is provided with rack-bars G, whichproject rearwardly therefrom. The pinions g on the shaft g mesh with therackbars G and serve in the rotation of the shaft g to move thecut-oifto and fro across the space between the storage-bin and the chute.

shaft g meshes with the pinion it on the shaft h, which is provided atits outer end with the hand-wheel I. Obviously by rotating thehand-wheel I the cut-off through the gearing just described will bemoved fore and aft, as required.

Provision is had to prevent choking in the bottom of the storage-bin bythe openings J in the front side a of the bin. These openings arearranged close to the bottom of the bin and a suitable instrument may bethrust therethrough to loosen the coal when required. \Vhen the bin isto be used in the capacity of a measure, the compartment formed beneaththe storage-bin by chute B, hinge-door S, and the cut-off may be of agiven capacity correspondingwith the amount of grain to be measured, aswill be readily appreciated.

The operation of theinvention is as follows: The grain, coal, or othercommodity to be stored is placed in the bin A, and when a given quantityis required the cut-off is drawn back by the mechanism hereinbeforespecified, thereby permitting a filling of the compartment beneath thebin. After the said compartment is filled the cut-off is projectedforward and the crank-shaftD is operated to disengage the catches dfromthe doorS, when the pressure of the confined substance or commoditywill force the door open and glide down the chute and over the said doorS and be received in the vessel or other receptacle placed to receivethe same. After the said compartment has been completely emptied thedoor S will close automatically by reason of the weights 3, When the binwill be in condition for a repetition of the operation just described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination, with the storage-bin having a meastiring-compartmentbelow and forming part thereof, the bottom B of themeasuring-compartment being inclined to the The gear-wheel H on theouter end of the horizontal and the said compartment being open at itsfront side, and a cut-off between the bin and the measuring-compartment,of a door hinged near its lower end adjacent to bottom B and adapted toopen outward and form an extension thereof, the catches d d, and thecrank-shaft D, having loose connections with the said catches,substantially as specified.

The hereinbefore-specified storage-bin having openings J in its frontside and having a measuring-compartment beneath and forming partthereof, the bottom B of said compartment being inclined to thehorizontal and having the front side of the compartment open, the doorS, hinged near its lower endin line with and having its rear portionadapted to overlap the bottom 13 and having its sides flanged, theweighted arms projected rearwardly from door S, the catches d, thecrankshaft D, having loose connections with the catches d, the cut-offbetween the bin and measuring-compartment having rearwardlyextendingrack-bars, and the shaft having pinions to mesh with the said rack-bars,substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM WALKER. Witnesses:

.ALLIE 0. SMITH, Muss McGowan.

